Third-party wireless request for proposal
Overview
Information Technology Services (ITS) is researching the possibility of offering a third-party wireless network on campus. ITS has submitted a request for proposal (RFP) to identify available vendor options before deciding on the feasibility of a third-party wireless network.
ITS currently has a system to allow sponsored guests access to the university's wireless system. These guests can obtain accounts on the university’s wireless system through the existing process, which requires sponsorship and adherence to the university's AUP. Faculty and staff can contact their local technical support to obtain accounts for sponsored guests.
Unsponsored guests cannot currently obtain access to wireless resources while on campus. A third-party Internet provider would enable guests to obtain wireless Internet access through a familiar, trusted process, while not placing the university or its resources at risk. A third-party provider would also free staff to focus on projects with more direct university benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't the university provide a free and open wireless network?
Policies, laws, and operational constraints require the university to identify all users on its networks and to enforce its Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which states that resources are only used in support of the university mission. Financial constraints also require ITS to focus on the university mission and prevent the university from offering free, unfettered access of Internet resources.
How would I provide guests with wireless access without charging them?
If the RFP is approved, the current system would remain in place for sponsored guests.
ITS has not identified whether the university would be able to allocate accounts for the third-party system. The RFP issued asks about coupon systems, whereby faculty or staff might be able to obtain or purchase coupons that could be given to a guest so they are identified through the vendor's mechanisms but not charged.
What if a sponsored guest gets charged by the third-party system before speaking with a university representative?
The RFP requires that information would be presented on the login page directing the sponsored guest to the university system. Additional options may be possible. The RFP asks vendors to detail their refund processes.
Would this overload the university wireless system?
ITS does not expect third-party usage to overload the system, but as a precaution, third-party users would be relegated to a lower priority than university users. For additional perspective, there are over 7,000 simultaneous university users at peak wireless usage during the day—only a small fraction of these would be third-party users, which is not enough to impact overall usage. Also, most of the third-party users are expected to be at public venues designed for their use, such as conference centers and museums.
Would this encourage loitering on campus?
Because the service would most likely have a charge associated with it, ITS does not believe providing third-party wireless access would encourage loitering. There are a lot of other free wireless locations in the city with easy Internet access.
Would revenues generated upgrade or expand the wireless network?
Unlikely. If revenues are generated, ITS does not believe there would be sufficient usage by guests to have a substantial impact. Any revenues would appear in publicly available ITS budget reports and forecasts. Depending on the response by vendors to the RFP, revenues might be used for coupons or other options.
